High pressure pumps are utilized during hydraulic fracturing in oil and gas operations. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,846,056; 7,335,002; and 7,341,435 describe such pumps and, particularly, the fluid end of such pumps. These fluid ends are prone to damage as the result of abrasive erosion caused by the fluids transferred through the pump. Constant maintenance is required to keep pump efficiency at an acceptable level. This maintenance results in extended periods of downtime of the pump for disassembly, parts replacement, and reassembly. Thus, reducing downtime may yield significant economic advantages to operators.
One of the time consuming steps in the repair operation is the removal and replacement of the suction manifold in order to gain access to the suction valves. The suction manifold on the fluid end of high pressure pumps are awkwardly shaped and extremely heavy. They generally require the use of special tools and rigging to move them from the bottom side of the fluid end forging. The present invention provides a structural mechanism for ensuring rapid alignment of the suction manifold with the fluid end body forging while improving the safety of the process.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,335,002 and 7,341,435 disclose and illustrate one method of gaining access to the suction valves for servicing (U.S. Pat. No. 7,341,435, Col. 3, lines 53-62; Col. 4, lines 67-Col. 5, line 2; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,335,002 (Col. 3, lines 53-63; Col. 4, lines 58-59). It has been found that such an arrangement and method continues to require considerable time to align the mounting bolt holes in the heavy suction manifold with the suction manifold mounting holes in the fluid end forging. The movement of the suction manifold about the pivot pins described in the above identified patents results in a dropping, vertical displacement of the manifold about the pivot pins rather than a preferred direct rotational displacement as will be described below.